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THE CHATHAM RECORD H. A. LONDON, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR Terms of Subscription $1.50 Per Year Strictly in Advance Slue Rates of Advertising Om Squat, mm kMrtka ttCO O Sqmrm, tm hamr&mm $10 OnSquar,osM oaontk SZO For Larger Advertisements Liberal Contracts tytfl bamscte. VOL. XXXVII. PITTSBORO, CHATHAM COUNTY, N. C, SEPTEMBER 9, 1914. NO. 5. r .,.. -....,.,. , ,, - - ... MJMui ! ...llM!, The V Var '-, SUMMARY OF THE EUROPEAN WAR FOR ONE WEEK READ AT A GLANCE August 30. A German aviator has appeared over Paris and was engaged today in dropping bombs in a populous part of the city. Several bombs failed to explode, according to the accounts, and the only two persons injured were women. The aviator, who signed himself Lieutenant Von Heiseen, dropped manifestos on which was written: "The German army is at the gates of Paris; you can do nothing but surren der." "In East Prussia," said the Russian war office, "the garrisons and fort resses of Thorn and Graudenz, (east of the Vistula), are taking part with a large number of seige guns. We have taken 3,000 prisoners in the operations east of Lemberg (capital of Galicia.) Near Podgerz (just south of the Vistula) the enemy lost 3,000 men and we captured four guns." Dispatches from Austrian headquar ters to the Corriere Delia Sera state that 1,000,000 men are engaged in the battle on the Austro-Russian frontier. The battle line extends from the Vis tula river to the Dniester river, more than 100 miles. The Russians have penetrated more than twenty miles Into Ausrian territory. August 31. It is officially an nounced that the minister of war, M. Millerand, accompanied . by General Gallieni, military governor of Paris, today inspected the northeast front of the entrenchment camp at Paris and congratulated General Gallieni on the rapid progress of the work on the supplementary defences. An Antwerp dispatch to the Reu ters Telegram Company, said: "It is reported here that General Pau has won a brilliant victory over 50,000 Germans near Peronnes, in the depart ment of Somme." The Messagero publishes a tele gram from Sofia, Belgaria, which said the Austrians have suffered an irre parable defeat at Zamose, in Russian Poland, 50 miles southwest of Lubin. Cannonading was heard here at in tervals throughout the day. ' The German armed trawler Gerda, of Hamburg, was blown up Saturday by striking a German mine off Lange land, a Dutch island in the Great Belt. The Gerda was acting as a guard ship to warn neutral ships of the mines. September 1. The following official statement was issued by the French war office today: "On our left wing, as a result of the turning movement of the German army, and in order not to accept battle under unfavorable conditions, our troops retired toward the south and southwest. In the re gion of Rethel, our forces have arrest ed the enemy momentarily. In the cen ter and on the right, the situation re mains unchanged." A German aeroplane flew over Os tend today, according to the Reuter Telegram Company dispatch. The dispatch adds that there has been a considerable movement of troops in Brussels, 80,000 being due to arrive there. A German victory at Allenstein, in which three Russian army corps were defeated and 70,000 prisoners, includ ing two Russian commanding gener als, were taken was reported today to the German embassy from Berlin by wireless, via Sayville, L. I. September 2. Regarding the prog ress of the battle which the Germans are waging on French and Belgian soil, both French and Bntish govern ments are virtually keeping- silence. The movements of the troops are meagerly reported and it has been im possible through these reports " to form any adequate idea of how the tide of battle is flowing. Direct advices from the Russian capital government the official report of a battle lasting seven days be tween the Russians and Austrians around Lemberg, capital of Galicia, in which the Russians were successful in forcing the Austrians to retreat and seizing heavily fortified positions. The Russians captured 150 guns and the Austrians are said to have suffered enormous losses. In this battle three full Austrian army corps and parts of two others were engaged. Russia admits a serious defeat in East Prussia at the hands of the Ger mans. In this battle two Russian army corps were badly xut up and three generals and a number of staff officers were killed. Japan has landed thousands of troops at the Chinese port of Lung Kow, 100 miles north of Tsing Tau, and the German legation at Pekln has protested to the Chinese foreign office against this alleged infringe ment of China's neutrality. September 3 Paris again showed its remarkable adaptability to circum stances. Though all allusions to such a contingency had been strictly for bidden in the newspapers, that the fcovArnment would be transferred, to Bordeaux was an open secret several days among journalists and public of ficials and in military circles. TVMy fVn fitnokholm.- the state correspondent said: "Great anx iety is felt in the Swedish capital be cause of efforts Germany is making, as shown by articles in the German newspaper, to induce ', Sweden to abandon her attitude of neutrality and i ! i - -- "- . ' ! : : t 1 in Brief take the field as an ally of Germany. The object sought Is to weaken the Russian attack In East Prussia by means of a Swedish attack on Fin laud." Turkish mobilization on the Persian boundary is slow. Many Christians and Kurds have refused to join them. The Turks are forcibly enrolling all persons of miltary age. There has been a serious conflict between Turks and Amenians at Bitlis, Turkish Ar menia. A telegram from Nish, Servia, says that in a battle at Jadar between 200,000 Austrians and 180,000 Ser vians, the latter put 140,000 Austrians "hors de'eombat," The Servians are sending as many, troops as possible to reinforce those already at the river Drina. There is no truth In the report that the Aus trians are withdrawing troops from the Servian frontier and sending them to meet the Russians. On the con trary, Austria is sending more men against Servia to prevent the Servi ans entering Bosnia. " President Poincare and the French cabinet arrived at Bordeaux were greeted by immense and cheering crowds. They have established head quarters for the government. September 4. When a German aer oplane tried to approach Paris today it was attacked near Vincennes by two French airmen. The French avia tors sent a charge of grape shot into the wings of the machine smashing It. The movement of the opposing arm ies outside Paris continued without any attempt having been made today by thelenemy against our various po sitions. It Is announced there that the Ger mans are bombarding Termonde (Dendermonde) a fortified town of Belgium, sixteen miles east of Ghent. The town has a population of about 10,000. The situation in the French theatre of war has not undergone substantial change. The position of the allies is well maintained. There are indications that a Ger man movement is developing in an eastward and southeastward direc tion. , At this moment fighting is proceed ing in the district between Alost and Termonde, Belgium. The railway near Alost has been blown up. A message to the state department today from John MacMurray, secretary of the American legation at Peking, said no word had been received there today from Tsing-Tau. Communica tion had been interrupted for some days, the message said, and Peking was in Ignorance as to what was transpiring at Kiao-Show. Crowds again today gathered in all the open places in the city watching for the customary appearance of a German aeroplane, but none appeared. A French airman went up andma neuvred over. the Place De L'Opera several times. A Reuter dispatch from Constanti nople dated August 28, and arriving here by an indirect route, says th German crews of the former German cruisers Goeben and Breslau are stiil on board those vessels. September 5. This is' the seventh day of the colossal battle in which about 3,000,000 Russians and Austrans are engaged. The battle front extends along about 620 miles from Prussia in the north to the Dniester In the South. The Russians were burning for a fight in the South and their su preme effort was directed toward an nihilating the entire Austrian army in that region and thus remove it from their flank before beginning the real attack on Germany. This morning a Taube aeroplane passed over Ghent at a great height and dropped two bombs. There was no loss of life. A dispatch from Vienna says that the Russians have surrounded the Austrians at Lublin, Russian Poland. The Germans who were rushed from Belgium to reinforce the Austrians arrived too late. According to reports current In mil itary quarters in London, portions of the British expeditionary force is at Maubeuge, a French fortress of the first class in tbe department Du Nord, assisting the French garrison there in a defense which is being stoutly maintained. German official dispatches admit that the fortress still remains in French hands. The fortified Belgian town of Ter mone, f Dendermonde), which was be ing bombarded by the Germans, has been evacuated by the Belgians. Sev eral districts, the correspondent says, especially those around Malines, have been flooded by N Belgian engi neers. ' Reports reaching here from Italy declare the entire Austrian army has been flung back on the Carpathians. Their retreat, the report says, is be coming a rout, with Cossacks pursu ing the Austrians. The Daily Bulletin Issued to the French soldiers expresses the hope that the government's sojourn in Bor deaux will be short. The capital's transfer, it is pointed out, was in conformity with tile interests of the state, civilian and military leaders ALLIED ARMY MEETS GERMAN'S RIGHT FRENCH AND GERMANS HAVE SMALL CLASHES ON ROAD TO PARIS. BRITISH LOSS OVER 15,000 England Issues an Official Statement of Happenings of Week. Calls For More Men. The Allied armies defending the road to Paris again have come into contact with the German right wing on the banks of the River Grand Mo in which runs East and West, some what South of the Paris line. An official statement issued by the French War Office says the Allies' ad vance troops came into touch with the German forces, which seem to be covering on the River Ourcq towards the Southwest, the movement of the main body of the German right wing and a small engagement resulted in an advantage to the French. The town of Maubeuge, where it is reported British troops are assisting the French garrison, Is said still to be resisting German assault, v From Berlin by way of Amsterdam comes a report that the Germans are attacking the forts at Nancy and that Emperor William and the General Staff are watching the operations. The British official war information bureau has issued a long general sur vey of operations of the British army during- the past week and in addition a list of British casualties which shows a total of more than 15,000 men up to September 1. The statement, which is based on a report from Field Marshal Sir John French, commander of the British forces at the front, speak highly of the spirit of the British soldiers and their achievements. It declares that while the British losses are heavy they are not one-third of the losses in flicted by the British troops on the Germans. The statement closes with a call for more men. Berlin reports that 3,000 British prisones have reached Doheritz. A bombardment has begun of the fortifications at Cattaro, an Austro Hungarian seaport, by. the French fleet, and advices from Cettinje credit the Montenegrin troops with the de feat of the Austrians at Boljanitz. France is calling out 11,915 recruits and in this way will add 250,000 men to her forces within a few months. The German Reichstag, represented by members of all parties, has prom ised its full support to whatever measures the Minister of Marine deems necessary. Appropriations will be made for -the replacement of ships lost and to carry out the program of construction already arranged. Fifteen British trawlers have been sunk in the North Sea by German warships. Russian official announcements de scribe a strong offensive movement against the Austrians on September 4. The Forty-fifth Austrian Regiment of infantry surrendered, 1,600 men be ing taken. German troops, marching to the aid of the Austrians, were at tacked but the result of these opera tions has not been made known. A German official statement says the Allied troops are in -retreat between Paris and Verdun and that the Ger man troops are pursuing them. It adds that in the eastern theater of war the Austrian attack on Lublin continues and that the Austrians are engaged in dispersing the Russians. Late advices say train service be tween Paris and Dieppe has been sus pended. Almost total silence is being main tained regarding happenings in France, neither the British nor French governments vouchsafing detailed in formation as to the positions of the armies facing each other a few miles from Paris. Reports are current in London mili tary quarters that a portion of the British expeditionary force is at Mau beuge, a French fortress of the first class in Nord, assisting the French garrison in the defense, which It is said, Is being strongly maintained. The Belgian town of Dendermonde (Termonde) in East Flanders, has been taken by Germans, according to an official report from Berlin and newspaper dispatches from Ostend. The latter advices add that the in habitants of the district have opened the dykes and are flooding the coun try. German troops are reported to have been caught by the waters and have suffered severely from shelling. The French premier explains that the sessions of Parliament at Paris were brought to a close in order that the parliament might be reconvened at Bordeaux, if necessary. An agreement has been signed by Sir Edward Grey, British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, and the French and Russians Ambassadors at London, In behalf of their respective governments, that peace shall not be concluded separately during the pres ent war by any one of the three allies and that no one of the allies will de mand conditions of peace without the previous agreement of the others. The British government has issued an official denial of the use of dum dum bullets by British cf French, as charged by Germanv. JOSEPHS DUELS PRAISES WILSON SAYS ADMINISTRATION'S MEXI CAN POLICY HAS i JUSTIFIED ITSELF FULLY. PEACE RESTS IN AMERICA AU Europe, is Embroiled 1 in War, Making Storng Contrast of Diplo macy of Nations. Waterville, Me. Contrasting the peace of the United States with the war in Europe, Secretary of the Navy Daniels, in an address here, declared the peace which America enjoys is due to wise statesmanship in handling difficult diplomatic problems. Recounting complications growing out of California legislation at the begining of the Wilson Administra tion, which "threatened to disturb our traditional friendship with Ja pan," the Secretary declared that "the wise President and wise Secretary of State, lovers of peace and justice, pursued a consistent course of friend ship and frankness with representa tives of Japan and that officials of Japan likewise held to a course of consultation and friendship refusing to be "hurried by the thoughtless or to lose their heads because "of the clamor of jingoism." Secretary Daniels called attention to the protests against the President's Mexican policy, its ridicule as "ama teur diplomacy" by many and predic tions that it would fail. "Happily the policy of the Admin istration found favor with the bulk of the sound citizens of the Republic of every political party." Mr. Daniels continued, "and the hands of the President were upheld by the great majority of the members of Congress, by a large portion of the press and by the people. Today we owe- to our Administration the fact that while nearly all Europeans are at each oth er's throats In death's struggle, Mex ico is coming into its own and taking the first steps toward establishing a constitutional government, and our own people on their own hearths and firesides are free from the perils of war." "The world "stood aghast," Mr. Dan iels declared, "at the conflict in Eu rope. "Before the final appeal to, arms while sitting at the bedside of his dying wife," he said, "President Wilson sent a cable message to the heads of the Powers tending the good offices of the American govern ment in the hope that the differences might be settled with honor without resort to arms. "This tender voiced the American spirit and the American impulse. If all the warring nations could have accepted this method of. arbitrament of the differences, what a blessing it would have carried into the homes now full of tears." CONGRESS MOVES CAUTIOUSLY. Will Seriously Consider the Effect of Putting on Extra Tax. Washington. Interest in war rev enue legislation overshadows every thing else in Congress. Administration leaders are moving cautiously, eager to submit within a few days a measure to assure $100, 000,000 in additional revenue and also to avoid political pitfalls. Demo cratic members of the Ways and Means Committee have agreed that $75,000,000 can be procured through increased levies on beer, malt liquors, domestic wines, proprietary prepara tions, soft drinks and like commo dities. In many other sources of in ternal revenue, however, leaders find themselves confronted- either with economic or political objections. The committee will resume delibera tions at once and endeavor to find $25,000,000 in revenues from a score of suggestions under consideration. Automobiles, amusement tickets, mav ing picture films, magazines and weekly publications, circulations, rail road transportation, car lines, whis key and other distilled liquors, inheri tances, incomes, tobacco and many other sources have been suggested. Wilson Directs Salute. Washington. I commemoration of the centennary of the national an them, "The Star Spangled Banner," President Wilson directed that a sa lute of 21 guns be fired at noon Sep tember 12, by all army posts, naval vessels and stations and revenue cut ters. The salute will practically en circle the globe as it will be fired in Mexican waters, in West Indies, Asi atic waters and in the waters of the contending powers in Europe. The en sign of the batteship Florida will be exhibited. Trailing Chinese Smugglers. San Francisco. The trail of what is believed to be an organized body of Chinese smugglers, including pos sibly government dfficials, which was turned up in Boston several months ago, held the attention of the federal Industrial relations commission in ex ecutive sessions. It declared revela tions made here prove the smugglers operate through this port freely. No details of testimony were made pub lic, but all of it will be embodied in a report to be made to Washington of ficials within a few weeks- "LOUVAIN PEOPLE BURNED ALIVE; SLAUGHTERED LINED THE STREETS" Chicago. The Tribune prints the following special cable from Rotter dam: . H. W. Rutgers, manager of the Lou vain water works, who escaped from the city with his wife and two chit dren, tells of old and young being burned alive by the Germans, of streets lined with slaughtered people, and ,of cellars of houses filled with trembling Innocent people who were awakened Tuesday night by wholesale murder and destruction. " The Dutch press is filled with avfaul details of the great crime and an over whelming wave of reaction against Germany has been created. The Tele graf says: "Neutral or not, a protest must be made to the civilized people against the destruction of high culture by the German soldiers. Even if it is true that shots were fired at the German troops by inhabitants of the town, the devastation of the oldest and noblest university town Is a revelation of bar barity, for through this destruction not only were the inhabitants and the de fending Belgians punished, but injury was inflicted on the whole of civilized humanity. It is a wound that can never be healed." Sees Germany's Name Shamed. "Does the German empire realize that by its deeds it is bringing eternal shame on the great name of Germany? It is to be hoped that the rubbish heaps of ruined cathedrals, houses, universities and museums will be re stored, but the history of this unhappy town shall not be forgotten. ' The stain which now defaces the escutcheon of glorious Germania shall never be wiped out." Story of Another Eyewitness. A Dutch resident of Louvain who was a salesman in a bicycle store says: "At midday on Tuesday there was a fearful uproar in the streets while we were at dinner. The crackle of musketry was soon followed by the roar of artillery. Hearing shrieks in the streets I rushed to the window and saw several houses in flames. Soldiers were smashing shop windows and loot ing in all directions. One had an arm ful of groceries and others stocked up with boxes of cigars. As the people rushed into the streets from their burning houses they were shot down like' rabbits." The Dutchman told how he had hid- den Tre with his employers In the cellar. e shooting became more brisk after nightfall. Presently they found their own house blazing and had to choose between making a dasn for their lives or roasting. Bodies Thick In the Streets. They had escaped by representing themselves as Germans, and a knowl edge of the Germanlanguage enabled them to carry out the impersonation. They were conducted to the railway station by German soldiers. The sales man continues: "Our walk through the streets to the railway station was like a walk through hell. The beautiful town was a sea of flames. Bodies of the dead lay thick in the streets. Dreadful cries ' came from many houses.. We reached the railway station at 5:30 o'clock In the morning. The soldiers were still going about the streets with lighted brands and explosives in their hands, setting alight any buildings that remained intact. In the parks they had already begun to bury the dead. In many, cases In the shallow graves in the large park each body was vis- Ible. Citizens Lined Up and Shot. "At the railway station were 50 citi zens, men and women, who had been brought from houses from which sol diers swore shots had been fired. They were lined up in the streets, protest ing with tears in their eyes that they were innocent. Then came a firing squad, and volley followed volley, and the 50 fell dead where they stood." This incident was confirmed by a Dutch journalist, who says that 500 citizens were ranged at the station, and a tenth part were ordered shot. Sacked by Germans. London. The Morning Post's corre spondent at Terneuzed, Holland, tells of the burning of Louvain and charges that many residents of that-historic Belgian city were killed. "Louvain," he says, "was sacked Wednesday night by Germans. The greater part of the population was massacred, including women, children and clergy. Their nationality did. not save one English and one American clergyman. All the noble public build ings, including the town hall, library and university were destroyed. ''That is the tale of horror disclosed at Malines by fleeing refugees and con firmed by the correspondent and by escaped notables from the destroyed city. The atrocity seems Incredible, but it is believed here. Germans Fire on Germans. "What seems to have happened is that the German army, defeated at ASK RICH TO SUPPORT FAMILIES OF SOLDIERS London. Citing the system used in the American Civil war, when men drafted had to serve or pay $300, Hiram Maxim, writing to the Stand ard, suggests something similar for England. "In Great Britain and Ireland, with a population of about 40,000,000, the majority of the men have dependents and it is not an easy matter for them to leave their families without ,up- : . I Malines on the previous day, fell back upon Louvain in some disorder. Reaching the town in the evening, German fugitives were fired upon in error by their own troops. "Rage at this misfortune and chagrin at their defeat seem to have inflamed the invaders, who set systematically to work to massacre the population and destroy the city, whose monu raents belonged as much to civilization as to Belgium.' , - ."It is not possible to put upon paper the accounts of the fugitives. They were given in gestures and broken exclamations rather than in sentences. The purport was always the same: That the civil population had done nothing, but that at night when the retreating German soldiers began to arrive, suddenly the Invaders became angry and began to slaughter, pillage and destroy. City Is In Ruins. "Nothing remains of Louvain but ruins, nor of its population but fugi tives. It is possible when the full story comes to be told it will be found that the horror was not quite so great. For all the accounts are from people fleeing for their- lives. Among these people, however, were four civic dig nitaries who- were in the city during the night and who were actually in the hands of Germans, but escaped. Their relation of facts is what is fol lowed in this dispatch, for it is more likely to be accurate and 'sober. "On the road from Louvain to Ant-v werp crowds of pitifulrefugees could be seen; nuns fleeing from their cloisters, priests from their churches, 1 sick carried on their beds, aged totter ing along with the help of their chil dren, and all who could, carrying some poor article Of household furniture. In one cart were collected 17 children, ev idently several families. "One handcart held an old palsied woman being pushed by her grand child. All were fleeing to Antwerp as the city of refuge, the city which shud ders in darkness throughout nights, at fear of midnight bombs. Among the train of fugitives were ambulances of the Belgian army, in which are carried solicitously, German wounded to hos pitals." War Bureau's Account.' The British war information bureau announces the following: 'The Belgian minister of foreign af fairs reports that on Tuesday a Ger man army corps, after receiving a check, withdrew In disorder to the city of Louvain- ' "The Germans on guard at the en trance of the city, mistaking the na ture of this incursion, fired upon their countrymen, whom they mistook for Belgians. "In spite of all the denials from the authorities the Germans, in order to cover their mistake, pretended that it was the inhabitants who had fired on them, whereas the inhabitants, includ ing the police, all had been disarmed more than a week before. Orders City's Destruction. "Without inquiry and without listen ing to any protests, the German com mander announced that the "town would be destroyed immediately. The inhabitants were ordered to leave their dwellings and some were made prisoners. The women and children were placed on trains the destinations of which are not known and soldiers furnished with bombs set fire to all parts of the city. The splendid church of St. Pierre, the university buildings, the library and scientific establish ments were delivered to the flames. "Several notable citizens were shot. The city, which had a population of 45,000 and was the intellectual metrop olis of the low countries, is now noth ing more than a heap of ashes." Orgy Precedes Sack. Chicago. The Tribune prints the following dispatch from E. Alexander Powell, dated at Antwerp: "I am sorry to say that the stories Of the sack of Louvain slowly coming in ameliorate the original tale of hor ror In no way. The few refugees who have arrived here are incoherent from their frightful experiences. It was a night of almost indescribable horrors. Germans broke into the wine shops early in the evening and a drunken orgy ensued, participated in by both officers and men. ) , "I am informed by a high govern ment official that in the city where 50, 000 persons resided only tan houses re main standing. The Hotel De Ville, one of the finest examples of Gothic architecture In Europe; the noble church of St. Pierre, built in 1426,' the university, founded by Pope Martin V, and its world famous library, are today heaps of smoking ruins. "The Germans seem to have vented their greatest fury on priests, of whom there was a large number attending the university. The government un derstands that most of them were butchered under the most revolting circumstances." . port," he says. "England has a vast number of millionaires and it is their duty to serve in their capacity as much as It is the working man's duty to serve in the ranks. -"Let the millionaires .raise money and then England quickly would have an enormous number of men for meet ing all requirements. Men who enlist should have at least fiv shillings daily and are entitled to pension. If Eng land makes the right use of her wealth she . could have an army of 1,000,000 men in the field in forty days." JNIlTMTIONAL iDWrSOIOOL Lesson (By B. O. SELLERS, Director of Evening Department, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago.) LESSON FOR SEPTEMBER 13 tHE TEN VIRGINS. LESSON TEXT Matt. 25:l-i3. GOLDEN TEXT "Watch therefore for ye know neither the day nor the hour when the Son of Man cometh." Matt. 25:13. ' A parable is "an earthly story with a heavenly meaning." An analogy is "a likeness." This story Is a parable. It is to illustrate the vigilant, expect ant attitude of faith, Heb. 6:28; II Tim. 4:8. Leaving the temple, Jesus drew the disciples' attention to its buildings and predicted its destruc tion. Proceeding to the Mount of Olives, his disciples ask him, "Tell us, . when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming, and the end of the world?" In reply Je sus gave the disciples his Olivet dis course and prophecies found in chap ters 24 and 25. To fully comprehend this parable we ought to review all of this teaching. The discourse as a whole falls Into these parts (1) 24:1-44 deals with Israel as a nation; (2) 24:45-25:30 deals with the church as being responsible for the king dur ing the period between his two ad vents; and (3) 25:31-46 deals with the judgment of the nations when the Son of Man comes in his glory. It will be seen then that this lesson comes in the second part and is one of three parables concerning the responsibil ity of the church. Jesus is the bride groom, John 3:28, 29; -Eph. 5:25; II Cor. 11:2; Rev. 21.9, and sets forth the love of. Christ for the church, Eph. 5:25, 28, 30-32. Two Classes. I. ' "While the bridegroom tarried" w. 1-5. The first and strongest idea of this section is that he, Jesus, the bridegroom, is coming again. Among those who wait are two classes, the wise and the foolish, though both were right intentioned. The lamps symbolize Christian profession, Luke 12:35; II Tim. 3:5, and the oil that which is essential to give us power whereby we maintain our profession, Acts 10:38; I John 2:20-27. The fool ish virgins were superficial and had not enough to maintain their profes sions. The wise virgins had enough oil; so also may the believer have the abiding spirit of Christ's presence wherein to maintain his Christian profession. Waiting they all nodded (slumbered) and others evidently lay down (slept). The wise virgins could afford to rest as they had all things ready. If they had been awake, howr ever, they might have seen and ren dered aid to those who were in the sorry plight of not being ready. The tarrying .was a .test of the faith, and patience of both the wise and the foolish as both awaited the "fulness of time" when he should appear. The Great Question. II. Behold the bridegroom cometh" vv. 6-13. All are awakened by this midnight cry. The hour was one when he was least expected, and the church of today needs to be awak ened to a realizing sense of this truth. Both the wise and the foolish have to meet him, but the wise were the only ones whose lights could shine and show the way into the banqueting room. They all outwardly appear alike even to the very point of separation. The church of Gcd individually and collectively, has yet to sense the dan ger to it and to others if its light for any reason be not continuous. This cry was a call to "meet him" and we all need to ask ourselves, "are we ready to meet him?" The hour was too late to make needful preparation to meet him. In their emergency they turned to the five wise ones but the wisdom of one cannot supply the de ficiency or the foolishness of others (v. 9). There is no Scripture to sup port the teaching that one man's merit is applicable to another except the merit of the God-man Jesus as ap plied to -sinful humanity. Hence the wise sent' their sisters to the orig inal source of supply for oil, and as they went "the bridegroom came." So, will it be with all who put off too long the securing of the Holy Spirit Itt' their lives. "They that were ready" went in, they, that were not ready when they came found the door "shut." To at tend a marriage feast is highly es teemed everywhere, but it is a priv ilege that is worthy of careful prep aration. Remember that Jesus is here showing the attitude towards himself" of those who profess to be devoted to him during the period of his absence, and who expect his re turn as king. That being so, we need to remind ourselves of the laws of the kingdom as he gave them. Jesus knows those that are his, John 10:27; II Tim. 2:13; I Cor. 8:3, but such are not those who make a mere outward profession of faith and lack the abiding presence . and power of the Holy Spirit The day of sep aration between the true and the false is 6urely coming, a time when the real, genuine, Spirit-filled Christiana will rejoice "at 'his coming." The lesson for us is "Watch." Be cause we do not know the day nor the hour when he will come, therefore,, "watch." This word does not mean simply to look or to gaze but to keep awake, to be vigilant.
The Chatham Record (Pittsboro, N.C.)
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Sept. 9, 1914, edition 1
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